The Helicopter, Rat and Weka Saga
Part 2: Midnight encounter with a rat
I emerged fairly early on the first day of 2024, eager to commence my 28km walk towards James Mackay Campsite from the Aorere Shelter. Despite the rain overnight and the gaping tears in the bottom and sides of my tent from the previous evening’s interaction with a helicopter, I had managed to stay reasonably dry. I hadn’t slept amazingly though; I was slightly cold for much of the night. I ascended to Parry Saddle through the crisp morning air, which didn’t feel at all summery, before crossing the undulating moorland, the highest part of the walk. Cool winds freshened the air as the moors stretched into the distance against a vivid blue sky. A lunch stop at Saxon Hut bisected the day before arriving at James Mackay in the late afternoon, where the challenge of pitching a tent on a constructed wooden platform tested my tired brain. It was a strange set up, where instead of using pegs, you tied your tent to hooks on the platform. My ripped tent floated restlessly into the air with the blustery wind; so I placed my heavy food bag inside to weigh it down.
My next challenge was to patch my tent to help me survive the next few days of the hike. Asking around, I scavenged some strapping tape, usually used for injuries and made some makeshift repairs, covering the numerous tears and holes in my tent. These repairs would thankfully hold for the night. After another warming meal, I admired the view of the descent westwards, where I’d walk tomorrow, towards the rough West Coast swell. I retreated to my tent fairly early, attempting to keep warm from the cool breeze.
Just after midnight, I awoke with a start. Something was moving in my tent! In a sleepy panic, I scrambled for my head torch, shining the light on the culprit, whom I’m sure is rather obvious from the title of this post! Startled at being used as a rat’s midnight trampoline, a scream escaped my mouth, awakening other nearby campers. The now frightened rat, who’d been hopeful of ensnaring some of my food, frantically bounced around my tiny tent, darting into my food bag for a few extra crumbs before exiting through a NEW hole that it had gnawed in my tent!
Heart rate elevated, I chastised myself for not storing my food in my zipped pack once it had done it’s job of weighing down my tent in the wind. I stared at the hole in disbelief after the previous night’s events with the helicopter. Sleep took a while to return to me, but fortunately, the rat did not. I was now down on some food; the rat hadn’t eaten a lot, but its teeth marks were evident on several food packets. Although I had some contingency food, I now had just enough rat-free food to make it through the final few days of the hike.
To be continued…
Arohanui, lots of love,
Aleisha
I am so pleased the rat has been dealt with!